[By contact alone he could tell how weak she was. Contact and knowledge how they (how he) handled such prisoners in years ago. Had she been able to walk or stand on her own, she wouldn’t need to lean on him. At least the lot was smart enough to disarm her, even if they weren’t smart enough to leave more than two to guard her. To see the warrior of such renown in such a state was nothing short of… something. Takame could not put his finger on how he felt. It didn’t matter now. How he… no.]
… I will carry you.
[It would be a waste of time to wait for her to recuperate. She would have time for that when they were safe. Instead he opted for the faster approach, moving her arm over his shoulder and tucking one of his arms under her legs, lifting her up.]
[If Rose was one her to hide her weakness, there would be little point to continue to do so now. She’s in no shape to walk, much less run. As much as she wants to rebuke the Au Ra, she can’t. It’s safer for her to be carried at this rate, and her eyes are still focused on escape.]
Do we have a plan? Surely, you weren’t stupid enough to come alone, were you?
[He shook his head. After ensuring she was well secured, began moving forward with her in tow. It would save more time to explain the situation as they made their escape and he carelessly stepped over the immobile corpses he’d made to free her.] A party was formed for your rescue.
[Retrace, Kesi. Patrol goes through the hall at the top of every hour, rounds every ten minutes made. Five at most were needed to move through. Two for you. Make haste. Go.] We are to regroup at the storage compound. From there officers of the Eorzean Alliance will escort you to Ala Ghiri. [Such were his orders. She needed treatment, that much was obvious. The sooner the better.]
[Rose bows her head, sinking deeper into the stranger’s arms. As much as she wants to ask for a weapon, it will lose them too much time. The Au Ra seems competent enough to get them out, and for that Rose is grateful.]
I had figured as much, but I wasn’t sure how long it would be before my absence was noticed.
[Not too long, thankfully.]
I should thank you, I suppose.
[She doesn’t offer thanks easily, but this is a situation that calls for it. He came all this way and risked his life for her, the least she can do is thank him.]
… Mm. [Being thanked will always be odd to him. He should accept the appreciation, and would had his mind been set solely upon their escape. She should save the thanks for when they were safe, he thought. These were his orders… he needed no thanks.
And yet was it not important to see her alive at all? Is that not what Hina would say? He didn’t know what to think. Not here... he could not think here. The halls are straight from here on. Take no detours, he told himself.
For a while he ran through and stopped, waiting for the next patrol to pass. Each group he’d timed perfectly, making the absolute maximum movements that he could before seemingly at the last minute hiding behind the nearest wall or magitek contraption without a single sound. One would almost assume he’d been privy to their movements for ages, as if he’s watched this very Castrum. Through every evasive movement he held Rose close.
But upon reaching the central compound, he came to a sudden, longer than normal halt. Should Rose look up at him, she’ll see no change in his expression save for a barely opened mouth as if he wished to speak but couldn't. He did not need the strange power he had which enhanced his eyesight to see three intersecting trails of blood leading forward. The sight did allow him, however, to see far out enough to just where the trails lead. Or rather, who they led to.
The others the Maelstrom recruited for this mission were dead on the floor. Beaten savagely as if by the hands of a skilled pugilist… if they had the strength of a thousand men and black holes where their souls ought to be. He had no words for the sight save for one: familiar. All Rose may notice from him is a significant increase in his heart rate.]
[A wave of foreboding washes over Rose as they make their way through the castrum. This is going smoothly...too smoothly for her comfort. Somehow, they seem to be missing all the patrols, which is a blessing. But she's not used to things being easy, and she doubts that escape will be so simple.]
[She is, after all, the closest thing that the Alliance has to a trump card, and that means that the Empire will be watching her relentlessly. Her fears are confirmed when they reach the central compound; three soldiers, dead, each lying in a pool of his own blood. She raises a hand to cover her mouth; for all the death she's seen, she's never gotten used to it, and this sight sends her heart racing. They had come to save her, and now they were dead.]
[They're trapped, and she's well aware of it. There's only so much she can do without a weapon. Even if she had one, she can barely walk. She's not sure of her companions strength, but she doubts that he can take on whoever did this, in addition to protecting her. She looks up at Takame with horror in her eyes.]
They'll be back shortly, no doubt. We need a plan.
… It’s too late. [If his party was caught, they already had eyes on him and indeed the alert sirens were sounded soon after. Even so, Takame’s demeanor didn’t change, and yet that was unsettling in itself. He’s seen enough death to not be phased by it, to not mourn when it happens. All that is making his heart pound out of his chest is where it happened, he was unable to relate at all to Rose’s horror. The stench of fresh blood is familiar, the inflicted wounds were not. The method was new, but it was not unexpected.
Another day, another dead savage.
That’s all they were. Wasn’t... that wrong? They were his enemy now… they were wrong. He did not expect Rose to fight, but he would subject her to the sight and scent no longer. Rescue the Warrior of Light. Rescue the Warrior of Light. That was all that mattered now. Complete your objective, Kesi. The same thing repeated in his head to deafen all other useless thoughts.
It barely registered that he had been spoken to. Habitually, he pulled out his weapon again with one hand. His dominant left.]
… Stay close to me. [He only gave those words as a warning, an indicator that he would still fight. Pure muscle memory would guide his legs through the castrum. Fully intending to fight with one blade arm or even just his legs if he needed to. Leave this place, he had to leave. He had to get Rose out.]
[For the first time since she left her cell, Takame's composure alarms her. Certainly, there were times when she had to keep herself together when fighting, but she had never been this focused, nor this stoic to the horrors of war.]
[Still, if she feels uncomfortable, she tries her best not to show it. Takame is, after all, the only way she's likely to leave this place alive, and she would very much like to keep living. She stumbles over to one of the dead soldiers, saying a quick prayer, and takes their staff. Robbing the dead never felt quite right to her, but here, she has little choice. It's weaker than what she's used to, but she can use it.]
[She makes her way back to Takame, hiding behind him. He's broad enough to conceal her presence.]
As if I have little choice. I'm not sure what rumors you've heard about me, but I'm not one to charge recklessly into danger.
[Unlike certain other Scions, who shall not be named.]
[There was no time to lament the dead. To mourn them. To bother being worried about stealing from them. They were dead. He continuously tightened and loosened his grip on his blade, the only way his body could release the nervous energy within him. In the same light his foot was half lifted off the ground before flattening again, then repeating that motion as well looking more like he was impatiently tapping his foot.
It wasn’t entirely inaccurate, though. They needed to leave. He could already hear them, the swarms of expendable soldiers sent their way to take Rose back to her cell and hang him from the rafters. From all sides they were coming, their flanks, their forward and behind.
His eyes were fixed forward. And in that direction with Rose close to him did he run, meeting any soldiers head on and enough confidence in his blade work to cut them all down.]
Move. [Said as if he was giving the few they first ran to a choice, instead from his sword did a wave of crimson and orange energy rush forward and in what felt like an instant, a flash, did the most eager of soldiers find they’d breathed their last as the slashing waves sliced through their armor and bodies with few who survived even able to tell what was the Au Ra’s aether and what was their comrades' blood. Of the five that came at them, two were left one too injured to move, but one with a few scratches.
Takame would ensure that wouldn’t last as he approached them and ran them through, lifting them up on the blade with all his strength, spilling more blood through the halls before kicking them off of his sword to fall to the floor like a rag doll. The only light in his eyes being the faint turquoise glow of the limbal rings that made him resemble a demon more than anything.]
[Rose is trying her best to move forward, and she could almost swear that Takame's command is directed at her. The stench of blood is overwhelming; it's not a spell that she ever got used to, and she has to stop herself from actively gagging.]
[Happy thoughts. Happy thoughts. She's doing what she can to distract herself from the slaughter, although there's only so much she can turn away from. It's not that she doesn't realize this is necessary, she absolutely does, but it still weighs heavy on her.]
[One foot after the other. Her body is weak, and tired, and hungry. Keeping pace with Takame, evading the soldiers, she puts all of her energy into just moving, until it's no longer possible. Whether she slipped in a puddle of blood, or her legs simply gave in, she's not sure. The only thing she knows is that she's now on the ground, in a puddle of blood. Try as she might, she can't get back up.]
[If not for the fact that he did not hear Rose's footsteps behind him, Takame would have kept moving. A swift swing against air of his blade clears it of blood quickly, but he would absolutely not put it away. He could still feel threats all around him. There was one in this room that was not a threat. One. The one he was here for, Rescue the Warrior of Light.
He turned around and met her where she fell, kneeling down next to her. He would look less frightening had they been anywhere else. No, control. Stay in control, Shij... Kesi. Calm yourself, godsdammit.
It was that reminder that allowed him to at least put a hand on her shoulder. A hand that was shaking, though he forced it to stop before he made contact.]
My lady. If you require it I will carry you again, but we must keep moving now. We need to leave. ["I need to leave." His heart screamed at him. "Get the bloody hells out of here." He ignored the pleas. It was not him. It was his mission.]
I know that. I don’t fancy being caught here any more than you do.
[To Rose, everything in the room feels like a threat. She can’t move, and the person who was sent to save her feels more akin to a demon. The person who was sent to save her that is still alive, at any rate.]
[She knows that if she’s going to escape this place, it’s going to be now. If they got captured, her savior would be good as dead, as would she. No doubt the Empire would keep her alive, of course, but there are plenty of injuries they could inflict that wouldn’t threaten her life. Not to mention that after one failed escape attempt, they would likely triple her guard to ensure there wouldn’t be another.]
[With everything that she has, she wills herself to stand again. It doesn’t work. She can hear footsteps approaching from the other corridors. They don’t have time.]
[Takame wasted no time in lifting her up in his arms once more. If he had time to think, he would regret his lack of compassion, lament the fact that he was not Hina with her way with comforting words. But he did not. Thoughts were impediments. All he could hear were sirens and brandished weapons. All he could feel was impending death. All he could think about was Nothing. He couldn’t afford it. He would make his escape, he could see literal light leading outside so close and yet so far. He began moving when a weak voice began to speak. A third in the room.
“Takame… oen… Shijin.”
And he froze. On his face was tangible horror and wide eyes, in his limbs was tension, in his chest he felt that his heart would stop. Against everything telling him, begging him to not look at the voice that he recognized, he turned his attention to the injured man on the ground wearing a help with a shattered faceplate making his bitter smirk visible as well as the blood falling from his mouth.
“‘Ts Yuzuka, remember? You've come a long way from the lil' shite you were, eh?”]
You… [He remembered the man. Worked with him, took orders from him when he was younger. He couldn’t breathe. He tried, he felt his chest moving but why did it feel like no air was coming in or going out.
“‘ow’d it feel… ta run away. To work with the savages…”
Takame could still hear the footsteps, still hear the sirens… but the sound… it was as if someone was smothering him.
“They’re still lookin’ for you… you an’ that traitor Kesona.]
… Stop talking.
[Takame shook. Visibly shook. Rose could no doubt feel it.
“Why bother runnin’ with the eikon slayer. They’ll get her… you… and that little bitch of Keso--”]
SHUT THE FUCK UP.
[Through the corridors his voice echoed, his words punctuated with a nearly crazed single handed slice along his former comrade’s neck spilling more blood against the wall he fell down and leaving him with no more words. Only muffled gagging as his last moments were spent choking.] Never... threaten her.
[Takame was still shaking. Shaking, hyperventilating. He felt paralyzed, was for a few moments after that outburst.
Then he ran. Ran faster, still holding the Warrior of Light, not letting go of his weapon... but not looking at her. Not wanting to look anywhere but where the exit was. Leave. Move. Move. Leave.
When did it begin to rain, he wondered. That must have been the only reason his face felt so wet.]
[Confusion begins to swirl around Rose, and she isn't particularly sure what's going on. Apparently the person they'd sent to rescue her had previous affiliation with the Empire. Had they known that? He seemed trustworthy, if nothing else.]
[This is exactly the kind of situation Rose tries to distance herself from, but right now, she doesn't have a choice. She can't move, she's in enemy territory, and Takame--his name is Takame--is her only way out.]
[She stays silent as everything unfolds, watching in mild horror. There's nothing she can do to get herself used to war, and even the blood of enemies sends her head spinning.]
[Once they're out of range of the soldiers, once she feels like she can open her mouth without retching, she speaks.]
[It took him as long as Rose felt she could speak that Takame could even hear her. A response didn't come immediately, though he knew there was obviously no denying it. He couldn't speak. Couldn't get anything out. What he could manage between exhausted heaving as he kept running was one weak word.]
... Yes. [It was a fact. It could not be changed. He could do nothing about it. And he expected distrust.
He would have if he didn't have his mind set even more firmly on escape.]
At the least... [His voice gave out on the last word, but he continued coherently. Eerily so given the circumstance.] ... pray allow me to see you to safety.
Well, I’m certainly not going to ask you to drop me in enemy territory, if that’s what you’re implying.
[Rose waves her hand dismissively. For everything she judges people for, for as critical as she is, she’s not going to judge this. Tsuyu’s loss still weighs heavily on her mind, and she’s learned by now how lucky she’s been. If she only appreciated it more in childhood.]
For what it’s worth, I don’t particularly care. You’re clearly not with them now, and if it wasn’t for you, I’d still be sitting in a cell.
[Or worse, she mentally added. It’s quite possible that without Takame’s intervention, she would already be on the way to Garlemald.]
I... I see. [Was all he could muster. A Thank You would be inappropriate with death still following them. There was something relieving, though, in the fact that she would not look upon him as if he were still with the Empire.
She of all people, the Warrior of Light, who has fought endlessly against them this entire time. He half expected his life to be forfeit by her hand. And he would not blame her.
They were not safe yet. Ruminations and regrets would come after they've left. After he could hear again, breathe again. The storage compound was not far now, but groups behind them converged from the last area's flanks all into a massive mob. Footsteps in uneven rhythms, clinking armor and unsheathed weapons. If he were to look back he'd no doubt see the sea of aether from conscripted mages. But he did not. He kept forward. Moving.
[Rose is tired of many things, and fighting is at the top of the list. She isn’t sure who started this rumor that she was some demon hell bent on destroying the Empire and everyone who was a part of them, but it is absolutely untrue. It would be a lie to say that she likes the Empire, certainly, but all of her recent battles have been because they were threatening her or someone close to her. And the whole Ala Mhigo mess. She still doesn’t like to talk about that.]
[She can understand why Takame would be hesitant to reveal his past with the Empire, especially to the Warrior of Light, but the last thing she’s going to do is start a fight when she doesn’t need to. The last thing she’s going to do is hurt someone who has done nothing wrong.]
[There are footsteps behind them, and she can hear Takame’s labored breathing. Her aether reserves are low, and she likely has enough for only one spell. Rose grips her stolen staff tight, and looks up towards Takame.]
I’m trusting you to carry me to the storage compound after this. I’m likely to pass out.
[Without giving him time to think on what she just said, she draws up all of the energy she can from the nearby earth, and unleashes a holy spell on their pursuers. It’s not enough to kill any of them, but it should stun them long enough for them to make an escape. As soon as the spell is done, she slips into unconsciousness, true to her word.]
Underst... what? [Half the first word came out by habit, then he saw her gather much aether for a spell. He did not see the results of it, but behind them he heard the shouts and confused cries of the soldiers chasing them. The sound of armored shoes against metal ground all but completely ceased. He did not even have a chance to comment before he felt Rose go limp in his arms.]
My lady... [She could not hear his thanks even if he gave them. Like before, he would save them for later. When they were safe. She gave them a huge advantage that Takame would not waste.
He kept moving, running out of range of the soldiers into his destination. The rest of the long slog went without a hitch thanks to Rose and waiting for them was an officer of the Maelstrom, the one who assigned him this mission. Shock came over them seeing Takame holding a passed out Rose, but he shook his head.]
She is alive, but she needs treatment immediately. [They gave him a Storm Salute and informed him that a carriage has been prepared to transport them away. "What of the others?" the officer asked him curiously while they made their way out and transferred Rose into a healer's care.]
... Dead. [Then there was silence as the two looked down. Silence from the officer in prayer. Silence from the Au Ra because he had nothing to say. Nothing at all.
He was still shaking and breathing heavily. The one that broke the silence finally was the healer caring for Rose, scolding the other two to "Get the hells on already". That was all the command Takame needed to follow. He did so and they took off at full speed, taking one detour to throw any further pursuers off but proceeding smoothly otherwise.
When they arrived to Ala Ghiri, they insisted to look over the shaken Au Ra as well, but he politely declined, refusing to even speak. He did not need the treatment. He did not need the care. The Warrior of Light needed it more. He would thank her... until then it would be best that he was alone.]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
… I will carry you.
[It would be a waste of time to wait for her to recuperate. She would have time for that when they were safe. Instead he opted for the faster approach, moving her arm over his shoulder and tucking one of his arms under her legs, lifting her up.]
Hold on to me tight.
no subject
Do we have a plan? Surely, you weren’t stupid enough to come alone, were you?
no subject
[Retrace, Kesi. Patrol goes through the hall at the top of every hour, rounds every ten minutes made. Five at most were needed to move through. Two for you. Make haste. Go.] We are to regroup at the storage compound. From there officers of the Eorzean Alliance will escort you to Ala Ghiri. [Such were his orders. She needed treatment, that much was obvious. The sooner the better.]
no subject
I had figured as much, but I wasn’t sure how long it would be before my absence was noticed.
[Not too long, thankfully.]
I should thank you, I suppose.
[She doesn’t offer thanks easily, but this is a situation that calls for it. He came all this way and risked his life for her, the least she can do is thank him.]
no subject
And yet was it not important to see her alive at all? Is that not what Hina would say? He didn’t know what to think. Not here... he could not think here. The halls are straight from here on. Take no detours, he told himself.
For a while he ran through and stopped, waiting for the next patrol to pass. Each group he’d timed perfectly, making the absolute maximum movements that he could before seemingly at the last minute hiding behind the nearest wall or magitek contraption without a single sound. One would almost assume he’d been privy to their movements for ages, as if he’s watched this very Castrum. Through every evasive movement he held Rose close.
But upon reaching the central compound, he came to a sudden, longer than normal halt. Should Rose look up at him, she’ll see no change in his expression save for a barely opened mouth as if he wished to speak but couldn't. He did not need the strange power he had which enhanced his eyesight to see three intersecting trails of blood leading forward. The sight did allow him, however, to see far out enough to just where the trails lead. Or rather, who they led to.
The others the Maelstrom recruited for this mission were dead on the floor. Beaten savagely as if by the hands of a skilled pugilist… if they had the strength of a thousand men and black holes where their souls ought to be. He had no words for the sight save for one: familiar. All Rose may notice from him is a significant increase in his heart rate.]
no subject
[She is, after all, the closest thing that the Alliance has to a trump card, and that means that the Empire will be watching her relentlessly. Her fears are confirmed when they reach the central compound; three soldiers, dead, each lying in a pool of his own blood. She raises a hand to cover her mouth; for all the death she's seen, she's never gotten used to it, and this sight sends her heart racing. They had come to save her, and now they were dead.]
[They're trapped, and she's well aware of it. There's only so much she can do without a weapon. Even if she had one, she can barely walk. She's not sure of her companions strength, but she doubts that he can take on whoever did this, in addition to protecting her. She looks up at Takame with horror in her eyes.]
They'll be back shortly, no doubt. We need a plan.
no subject
Another day, another dead savage.
That’s all they were. Wasn’t... that wrong? They were his enemy now… they were wrong. He did not expect Rose to fight, but he would subject her to the sight and scent no longer. Rescue the Warrior of Light. Rescue the Warrior of Light. That was all that mattered now. Complete your objective, Kesi. The same thing repeated in his head to deafen all other useless thoughts.
It barely registered that he had been spoken to. Habitually, he pulled out his weapon again with one hand. His dominant left.]
… Stay close to me. [He only gave those words as a warning, an indicator that he would still fight. Pure muscle memory would guide his legs through the castrum. Fully intending to fight with one blade arm or even just his legs if he needed to. Leave this place, he had to leave. He had to get Rose out.]
no subject
[Still, if she feels uncomfortable, she tries her best not to show it. Takame is, after all, the only way she's likely to leave this place alive, and she would very much like to keep living. She stumbles over to one of the dead soldiers, saying a quick prayer, and takes their staff. Robbing the dead never felt quite right to her, but here, she has little choice. It's weaker than what she's used to, but she can use it.]
[She makes her way back to Takame, hiding behind him. He's broad enough to conceal her presence.]
As if I have little choice. I'm not sure what rumors you've heard about me, but I'm not one to charge recklessly into danger.
[Unlike certain other Scions, who shall not be named.]
no subject
It wasn’t entirely inaccurate, though. They needed to leave. He could already hear them, the swarms of expendable soldiers sent their way to take Rose back to her cell and hang him from the rafters. From all sides they were coming, their flanks, their forward and behind.
His eyes were fixed forward. And in that direction with Rose close to him did he run, meeting any soldiers head on and enough confidence in his blade work to cut them all down.]
Move. [Said as if he was giving the few they first ran to a choice, instead from his sword did a wave of crimson and orange energy rush forward and in what felt like an instant, a flash, did the most eager of soldiers find they’d breathed their last as the slashing waves sliced through their armor and bodies with few who survived even able to tell what was the Au Ra’s aether and what was their comrades' blood. Of the five that came at them, two were left one too injured to move, but one with a few scratches.
Takame would ensure that wouldn’t last as he approached them and ran them through, lifting them up on the blade with all his strength, spilling more blood through the halls before kicking them off of his sword to fall to the floor like a rag doll. The only light in his eyes being the faint turquoise glow of the limbal rings that made him resemble a demon more than anything.]
no subject
[Happy thoughts. Happy thoughts. She's doing what she can to distract herself from the slaughter, although there's only so much she can turn away from. It's not that she doesn't realize this is necessary, she absolutely does, but it still weighs heavy on her.]
[One foot after the other. Her body is weak, and tired, and hungry. Keeping pace with Takame, evading the soldiers, she puts all of her energy into just moving, until it's no longer possible. Whether she slipped in a puddle of blood, or her legs simply gave in, she's not sure. The only thing she knows is that she's now on the ground, in a puddle of blood. Try as she might, she can't get back up.]
Shit...
no subject
He turned around and met her where she fell, kneeling down next to her. He would look less frightening had they been anywhere else. No, control. Stay in control, Shij... Kesi. Calm yourself, godsdammit.
It was that reminder that allowed him to at least put a hand on her shoulder. A hand that was shaking, though he forced it to stop before he made contact.]
My lady. If you require it I will carry you again, but we must keep moving now. We need to leave. ["I need to leave." His heart screamed at him. "Get the bloody hells out of here." He ignored the pleas. It was not him. It was his mission.]
no subject
[To Rose, everything in the room feels like a threat. She can’t move, and the person who was sent to save her feels more akin to a demon. The person who was sent to save her that is still alive, at any rate.]
[She knows that if she’s going to escape this place, it’s going to be now. If they got captured, her savior would be good as dead, as would she. No doubt the Empire would keep her alive, of course, but there are plenty of injuries they could inflict that wouldn’t threaten her life. Not to mention that after one failed escape attempt, they would likely triple her guard to ensure there wouldn’t be another.]
[With everything that she has, she wills herself to stand again. It doesn’t work. She can hear footsteps approaching from the other corridors. They don’t have time.]
You’ll have to. I can’t stand.
no subject
“Takame… oen… Shijin.”
And he froze. On his face was tangible horror and wide eyes, in his limbs was tension, in his chest he felt that his heart would stop. Against everything telling him, begging him to not look at the voice that he recognized, he turned his attention to the injured man on the ground wearing a help with a shattered faceplate making his bitter smirk visible as well as the blood falling from his mouth.
“‘Ts Yuzuka, remember? You've come a long way from the lil' shite you were, eh?”]
You… [He remembered the man. Worked with him, took orders from him when he was younger. He couldn’t breathe. He tried, he felt his chest moving but why did it feel like no air was coming in or going out.
“‘ow’d it feel… ta run away. To work with the savages…”
Takame could still hear the footsteps, still hear the sirens… but the sound… it was as if someone was smothering him.
“They’re still lookin’ for you… you an’ that traitor Kesona.]
… Stop talking.
[Takame shook. Visibly shook. Rose could no doubt feel it.
“Why bother runnin’ with the eikon slayer. They’ll get her… you… and that little bitch of Keso--”]
SHUT THE FUCK UP.
[Through the corridors his voice echoed, his words punctuated with a nearly crazed single handed slice along his former comrade’s neck spilling more blood against the wall he fell down and leaving him with no more words. Only muffled gagging as his last moments were spent choking.] Never... threaten her.
[Takame was still shaking. Shaking, hyperventilating. He felt paralyzed, was for a few moments after that outburst.
Then he ran. Ran faster, still holding the Warrior of Light, not letting go of his weapon... but not looking at her. Not wanting to look anywhere but where the exit was. Leave. Move. Move. Leave.
When did it begin to rain, he wondered. That must have been the only reason his face felt so wet.]
no subject
[This is exactly the kind of situation Rose tries to distance herself from, but right now, she doesn't have a choice. She can't move, she's in enemy territory, and Takame--his name is Takame--is her only way out.]
[She stays silent as everything unfolds, watching in mild horror. There's nothing she can do to get herself used to war, and even the blood of enemies sends her head spinning.]
[Once they're out of range of the soldiers, once she feels like she can open her mouth without retching, she speaks.]
So, you used to be with the Empire, then?
no subject
... Yes. [It was a fact. It could not be changed. He could do nothing about it. And he expected distrust.
He would have if he didn't have his mind set even more firmly on escape.]
At the least... [His voice gave out on the last word, but he continued coherently. Eerily so given the circumstance.] ... pray allow me to see you to safety.
no subject
[Rose waves her hand dismissively. For everything she judges people for, for as critical as she is, she’s not going to judge this. Tsuyu’s loss still weighs heavily on her mind, and she’s learned by now how lucky she’s been. If she only appreciated it more in childhood.]
For what it’s worth, I don’t particularly care. You’re clearly not with them now, and if it wasn’t for you, I’d still be sitting in a cell.
[Or worse, she mentally added. It’s quite possible that without Takame’s intervention, she would already be on the way to Garlemald.]
no subject
She of all people, the Warrior of Light, who has fought endlessly against them this entire time. He half expected his life to be forfeit by her hand. And he would not blame her.
They were not safe yet. Ruminations and regrets would come after they've left. After he could hear again, breathe again. The storage compound was not far now, but groups behind them converged from the last area's flanks all into a massive mob. Footsteps in uneven rhythms, clinking armor and unsheathed weapons. If he were to look back he'd no doubt see the sea of aether from conscripted mages. But he did not. He kept forward. Moving.
Heaving.]
no subject
[She can understand why Takame would be hesitant to reveal his past with the Empire, especially to the Warrior of Light, but the last thing she’s going to do is start a fight when she doesn’t need to. The last thing she’s going to do is hurt someone who has done nothing wrong.]
[There are footsteps behind them, and she can hear Takame’s labored breathing. Her aether reserves are low, and she likely has enough for only one spell. Rose grips her stolen staff tight, and looks up towards Takame.]
I’m trusting you to carry me to the storage compound after this. I’m likely to pass out.
[Without giving him time to think on what she just said, she draws up all of the energy she can from the nearby earth, and unleashes a holy spell on their pursuers. It’s not enough to kill any of them, but it should stun them long enough for them to make an escape. As soon as the spell is done, she slips into unconsciousness, true to her word.]
no subject
My lady... [She could not hear his thanks even if he gave them. Like before, he would save them for later. When they were safe. She gave them a huge advantage that Takame would not waste.
He kept moving, running out of range of the soldiers into his destination. The rest of the long slog went without a hitch thanks to Rose and waiting for them was an officer of the Maelstrom, the one who assigned him this mission. Shock came over them seeing Takame holding a passed out Rose, but he shook his head.]
She is alive, but she needs treatment immediately. [They gave him a Storm Salute and informed him that a carriage has been prepared to transport them away. "What of the others?" the officer asked him curiously while they made their way out and transferred Rose into a healer's care.]
... Dead. [Then there was silence as the two looked down. Silence from the officer in prayer. Silence from the Au Ra because he had nothing to say. Nothing at all.
He was still shaking and breathing heavily. The one that broke the silence finally was the healer caring for Rose, scolding the other two to "Get the hells on already". That was all the command Takame needed to follow. He did so and they took off at full speed, taking one detour to throw any further pursuers off but proceeding smoothly otherwise.
When they arrived to Ala Ghiri, they insisted to look over the shaken Au Ra as well, but he politely declined, refusing to even speak. He did not need the treatment. He did not need the care. The Warrior of Light needed it more. He would thank her... until then it would be best that he was alone.]